


Blackout

by Ghoulitine



Category: Shall We Date?: Obey Me!
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, BLM, Black Lives Matter, Current Events, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, First fic so be gentle, I'm Bad At Summaries, MC is a black woman, MC is affected by this, MC needs to take care of herself, Self-Indulgent, black history will be discussed in this story, cases will be discussed in this story, having to do with BLM and protesting, please do not read if you have a problem with BLM, this is based of current events, this really is just therapy for me
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-03
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:35:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24517027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ghoulitine/pseuds/Ghoulitine
Summary: MC's time in Devildom has afforded her the ability to live a life she never thought she would. She gets to live with Seven Demon Brothers while studying in a demon education for a year. Life was weird but life was comfortableThat is, until, she is suddenly reminded of the dangers on Earth that she and her family had once faced before. A sickening reminder of what she will have to face again once she leaves Devildom.How will she cope with her feelings as more and more unrest grows in the human world? How will she answer the hundreds of questions the demons have for her? How will she make the Demon Brothers understand that she simply is not OK.
Relationships: Asmodeus/Main Character, Beelzebub/Main Character (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Belphegor/Main Character (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Leviathan & Main Character (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Lucifer/Main Character (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Main Character/Mammon (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Main Character/Simeon (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Main Character/Solomon (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Satan/Main Character
Comments: 27
Kudos: 112





	1. Shattered

**Author's Note:**

> Hey all! This is my first work so please be gentle.
> 
> This fic really serves as therapy for me, but I've decided to post it just in case there are others in the OM fandom that could benefit from it.
> 
> This is a rough time to be living, especially for Black People and other People of Color and I ask that you take care of your mental health above everything else. Please check on your black friends through these trying times
> 
> MC is a black woman and has some history with the events occurring currently. I'll try not to name any cases specifically nor get into gruesome details. The point of the story is to try and work through feelings and introduce the demon brothers to some interesting points in human history
> 
> If you feel you are going to be offended by the contents of this story, please don't read. There are plenty of other stories that will suit your fancy 
> 
> Above all, Enjoy. We'll see where this fic goes

You stretch as the bell rings, releasing you from your last RAD class. You relaxed for a second, thinking over your plans for today. Your life as of late consisted of studying hard as hell for this upcoming test next week, making study dates with Satan and occasionally asking Lucifer for any help with Devildom history. Double that with the shenanigans the Brothers managed to rope you into, you were exhausted beyond belief. 

To be honest, you only had 1 hour of studying, MAX, before you were down for the count. You couldn’t wait to feel the softness of your bed for a much needed nap, Asmo’s shopping be damned. You finally started packing up as some classmates filed out of the door.

There was a group of demons huddled together near the door, looking at something in between them. Their hushed whispers caught your attention but you decided to leave it alone and get to your waiting bed. As soon as you got up and slung the book bag over your shoulder, you heard a shout. 

“Hey, human! Have you seen this?” One of the demons called out to you, holding up their phone where some video was playing. You furrowed your eyebrows, hesitating for a second. None of the brothers were in this class, only Simeon and Luke but they seemed to be busy talking to the teacher. You swallowed for a second, reminding yourself that you were in the classroom and close by to a powerful angel; You would be just fine. So you walked over to them, a confused look on your face. “What?” “Here!” They opened up the huddle to invite you in and you walked in. 

“What’s going on in the human world? Seems like things are going crazy…” One of the demons laughed as you looked over the video. On the screen was a news video. 

‘Riots are spread across the country as citizens protest the death of an unarmed black man at the hands of the city police.’

The video shifted to show as the streets were filled with people in masks, chanting and yelling before moving on to another video. It seemed to be a video taken on a phone, showcasing a cop pressing his knee to the neck of a man, arms clearly cuffed behind him. An audience was forming around the group, yelling at the cops to get off the man. Meanwhile, the man was gasping and begging to the cops to get off of him. 

“I can’t breathe! Please….I can’t breathe!”  
“ ‘I can’t breathe’ was the last words this man ever said before he went unconscious, the officers still not letting up on his neck. The EMS arrived about two minutes later and, only then, did the police ease up on his neck. After putting him on a stretched, it was announced upon arrival at the hospital that he was dead” 

Your eyes widened as you watched but the demons seemed amused. “Is this normal for humans? Seems like something serious is going on up there” “Look! They’re shooting them with smoke and stuff!” “This is fucking crazy? Yo, human, is this normal??” “Yeah, what’s going on? Do you know? What’s the issue” 

Their questions came at you like arrows and, yet, you couldn’t find your voice to answer them. The few months you’ve stayed in Devildom and it never occurred to me just how different everything was. “I-i….i…” “You look shocked? This is kinda crazy, right? Is this some sort of mutiny or somethin’?” “I don’t even know how human government works, ha, they have a King, right?” 

Living in Devildom has afforded you a lifestyle that you weren’t used to. For once, the color of your skin wasn’t the source of judgement. No one blinked twice at your brown skin or your kinky-curly hair styled into neat braids when you came popping into the Student Council room. Taking trips to the human world to try and get all your needed hair care products (not only were demon shampoo pretty shady to begin with, they were not nice to your curly little baby hairs) were met with shrugs and vague questions about some of the ingredients, not why you needed all of them. If anything, the brothers must have thought you were more like Asmo than they initially thought. 

The only race you were was human and that was fine with you. You hadn’t realized how peaceful it was to remain unjudged on things you couldn’t control (well….sorta unjudged. You were just a magic-less human) until it was thrown right back in your face what type of life you would have to live after this year in Devildom was over. The lives your family, your brothers, your sisters were currently dealing with right now.

In this moment, you never felt more alone. You never felt more weak. The familiar tension in the middle of your chest, something akin to anger and panic, was starting to build in the middle of your chest and you felt your hands start to clench into tight fists. “W-where….how are you getting human videos? I thought we couldn’t….reach….” You said slowly, looking up at the demon holding the phone. “Oh, yeah it’s this app called Tranced. You can watch some human media on it, it’s pretty cool actually.” “Yeah, there’s some interesting human stuff on there…” 

You turned your attention back to the video, feeling a familiar knot in your throat. You wanted to scream. You wanted to throw something. You felt every bit of rage from the protesters. You knew how this worked. You knew why they were so angry. You’ve felt it yourself. Your heart began to beat fast. Faster. To the point where you knew the demons had to be hearing it. To the point that it began to hurt. 

“MC?” Simeons gentle voice broke your concentration and your head whipped up to meet his eyes. He smiled as soon as your eyes met, but you knew there was something in there. A sort of understanding, as if he could see that you were in pain. He glanced down at the phone, only watching for a few seconds before he returned his gaze. His smile fell but only for a few seconds before it came back again.  
But it was different this time. It was more caring. Compassionate. Like he knew. Like he _knew._

“...Let’s go. You must be tired, yes?” He says, and you somehow felt there was a double meaning to his words. “....y-yeah….yeah.” “Come...let’s go.” He put a hand on your elbow, pulling you away from the group. There were some protests from the group of demons but you were pulled away before they could say anything else. 

The walk into the hallway was silent until Luke bounded up to the both of them. “MC! Hey! I was wondering, did you want to go and help me bake some cupcakes. I found this new recipe that looks really good and-” “Luke…” Simeon said softly, quieting him down. “MC is very tired. She needs to rest…” You swallowed, nodding. You forced a smile to your face, not wanting to see the sad, puppy dog look on Lukes face right now. “Yeah, sorry Buddy. Maybe tomorrow or something? Or...if you want to do it, just make sure you save some for me. I definitely want to try it.”

Luke pouted but nodded. “Okay! I’ll wait. I like baking with you so… but get some rest! Why are you so tired? Is it those demons?” He stomped his foot, clenching his little hands. “They must be really bothering you! Hmmph, those no good-....you should really tell them off! You-” You laughed, reaching over to pat his head. “Calm down there buddy, I was just studying too much. I just need a nap and I’ll be all good.” “Oh...okay well..please! Get some sleep. Take care of yourself, MC” 

“Yes…” Simeon agreed, cocking his head as he looked all over your face. “Please, take care of yourself. Would you like me to walk you home today?” 

You furrowed your eyebrows as you looked over him. Simeon had a calming aura, you knew that from the first time you ever met him. Even now, the panic that sat in your chest was diminished significantly. Usually you had one of the demon brothers walk you back home but today...you didn’t feel like you could handle being with them right now. With their energy. Not until you could cuddle up under your sheets. 

“Y-yeah...you think you can. I’m not trying to take you out your way or anything” He laughed, shaking his head. “Nonsense. I wouldn’t have offered if I had anywhere to be. I most definitely have time to walk you home.” 

You couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. “Thank you….uh….let me just text the boys so they don’t wonder where I am.” He nodded, crossing his arms as you brought out your D.D.D. 

**MC:** Yo. I’m walking back home with Simeon so don’t freak out  
**Mammon:** WHAT? MC. I usually walk you home.  
**Mammon:** Is something up?  
**MC:** Nah, everything is fine. I’m just tired and want to go home early  
**Belphie:** If you need some sleep, I could help you out  
**Belphie:** Are you going to your room?  
**Mammon:** Hold the hell on  
**Mammon:** You’re not going anywhere near her. She don’t need your help to sleep.  
**Mammon:** I’ll help her  
**Levi:** lololol you’re so jealous, it’s so obvious  
**Mammon:** Shut up!  
**Satan:** Are you sure you’re okay MC  
**Satan:** You don’t usually walk home with Simeon…

You sighed, glancing over at Simeon who only waved it off as if to say ‘take your time’ 

**MC:** I’m absolutely fine, guys, seriously.  
**MC:** We were in class together and he offered to walk me home since I was so tired.  
**Lucifer:** If you are tired then you should rest  
**Lucifer:** Just don’t sleep too long or you won’t be able to sleep later tonight  
**MC:** I won’t, Luci  
**Mammon:** Luci??? So you’re onto pet names now?  
**Mammon:** Hello?? 

You put away your D.D.D, shaking your head as you looked to Simeon. He straightened up when he saw you were back with him and offered his arm. “Shall we go then?” You took it, coming close. “Yeah, let’s go.” 

The walk was silent but you felt better being able to focus on your feelings. His presence calmed you down as you tried to figure out all the thoughts in your head. And it was almost like he knew that about you. About your feelings. About everything. 

You were lucky enough to be chosen. Well...somewhat lucky, your time here didn’t go without a few near death experiences that everyone got chewed tf out for. But you were lucky to be able to experience a different life. But what about your friends and family? What about later, when your year is up and you have to go home. How are you going to be able to adjust to a life where the color of your skin put a target on your back and not your magical incapabilities?

How were you going to be able to live life being anxious for your siblings? For you parents? For yourself? 

You felt extremely human right now. It was a lonely experience. You needed someone to be there and to understand, from your perspective, from your point of view.  
Before you knew it, you were right outside the House of Lamentation. You didn’t remember much of the walk. 

“Here you are. Home, safe and sound.” Simeon turned to you, giving a nice smile once again. You mirror him, though yours feels less genuine. “Seriously, thank you. I appreciate you walking me home” He shakes his head, allowing you to pull away from his arm but still reaching out to grab your hand. “It is truly no problem.” 

He pauses for a second, as if he was thinking something before he speaks again. “Would you like to talk?” “Huh?” “About anything on your mind? You know, I’m here for you if you are ever in need of a bit of guidance…” 

So he definitely knew. Or at least, he knew your emotions were unstable. You furrowed your eyebrows, shrugging and averting your eyes. “ I don’t know....Not right now...I guess. I just...want to...sleep for right now” You felt a little silly for avoiding it, as if he would judge you for how you were feeling. But he only nodded. “Understandable. I had a feeling you really were just tired. Well...I won’t keep you. However, if you do need to talk, then you know where to find me and how to contact me. I always have an open ear for you, MC” 

You couldn’t help the smile that came to your face, a feeling of comfort washing over you. “Thank you Simeon. You really don’t understand how much that means to me” “Oh, I think I do. Now go. Go to sleep. Please, take care of yourself…” 

You still felt there was a double-meaning behind it. 

You were able to get to your room with no problems, considering it didn’t seem like the boys had made it home as of yet. It was peacefully quiet in the House of Lamentation (for once) and you enjoyed it. A quick strip down into nothing but a camisole and basketball shorts and you jumped onto your bed, releasing a low ‘holy shit’ when trying to ease your back into comfort. 

You were tired. You were very tired. But something kept gnawing on you. You wanted to know what happened. In the video that the demons showed you, what happened? Riots don’t spawn out of nowhere. You knew before you were taken that something was going to spark a feud but what about this one made the dominoes fall? 

You hesitated for a second before you reached for your D.D.D. What was that app called again?

It took you a few minutes of searching but you were able to find the app called ‘Tranced’. It seemed like a hub of human-curated videos. You hadn’t seen news from the human world in so long. You scrolled until you found the very video in question. Going to tap on it, you hesitated. 

You knew you would be angry. You knew that you’ve seen this type of thing before. You knew the panic that would come from watching this. But a sense of duty drives your hands. Not knowing was the same as pretending it didn’t exist. You’ve always known this type of thing happens. Being in Devildom didn’t change the reality for your people.

With a heavy sigh, you pressed play.


	2. Broken

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! Hope all is well and you're taking care of yourself. This chapter reflects some of the different ways I deal with incoming information, which is to just take it all in without any type of break. Then try to go through the day as if nothing is wrong. Which is absolutely not the way to do this. Please, give your mind a break

You woke up with a start, your headphones tangled around your neck. There was a dull ache in the back of your head and you were splayed out all uncomfortable on your own bed. The sheets pooled at the end, as if you had kicked it all off. It wasn’t hot in the room, in fact it felt freezing, so you didn’t understand why you would have done that. 

Your body groaned as you tried to move, head stuffy and heavy. You had spent a good part of the night watching videos. Videos of news anchors reporting the recent events of police brutality, sometimes accented with videos of the murders. Other videos consisted of the protest turned riots once the police met them with unneeded force. 

You spent all night watching them when you should have been sleeping. 

It was a feeling you couldn’t explain. You felt extreme guilt for being able to live a life, albeit it temporarily, that was free of the dangers of skin color. Sure, could you be killed if you accidentally ate another demons favorite food. Of course. But at least that had a somewhat rational reasons. 

All these people were killed or injured because of years of hatred. 

You wondered how scared your family was. 

“OI! I KNOW you’re awake in there , human! Quit ignoring the Great Mammon and get up!” 

Mammons voice startled you out of your thoughts and you were made aware of how you woke up in the first place. His incessant pounding on the door had been your alarm clock. You groaned, throwing an arm over your eyes before you picked up your D.D.D. 

Oh, you really were late.

“Shit” “See! I knew you were up! I promised to knock but if ya don’t get your lazy ass up, I’m comin’ in there and draggin’ you out?” Somehow in the middle of his little speech, he managed to switch modes. “I mean, you okay in there? Ain’t like you to just sleep in on a school night.” “You ain’t sick are ya? Cause I ain’t tryna get no stupid human disease just cause you don’t know how to take care of yourself” 

How he was able to switch between caring for you and acting like you were a burden was beyond you. 

“I’m fine, Mammoney…” You called out, hoping his nickname would ease his temper. “I just overslept, that’s all. I’m getting up now.” You rarely locked your door now but you had talked to the brothers about personal space and they knew not to barge in your room. Well, sorta knew. It was still a learning experience. 

You really didn’t want him to come in right now. You knew you looked like a mess. You had a vague memory of crying some time during the night and you knew you looked drained. 

“Yeah alright. Ya got five minutes or I’m comin’ in there. And uh.... I’ll try and save you some breakfast. You better thank me later, got that! I don’t do this for just anyone. It’s only cause you’re my human and that’s it. Don’t be gettin’ any weird ide-” “Yeah! I know Mammon, i know. Got it. See you soon. And thank you! You’re the best.” That got him to shut up for a second and you could almost hear the blush that was surely on his face. “W-well...yeah. I am THE Mammon, of course! I am the best! Good thing you can finally see it.” You heard him walk away, stumbling over his own praises as he did so. 

Finally, you let out a sigh of relief. Getting up, you thought about your game plan. Clearly, you couldn’t talk about this with the brothers. They couldn’t understand what this meant to you. You bit your lip as you made your way to the bathroom. You all talked so much about everything with the brothers. Hell, you helped them with their family issues. Drunken movie nights revealed more and more (sometimes more than you wanted to know). You felt close to them, extremely close, and yet not close enough to tell them about this. 

Would they even care? Demons didn’t seem to have the same concepts of discrimination like humans did. Not entirely. Would they even know what’s going on? You figured Satan may have an idea, considering he’s read almost everything in the world. Maybe he’s only read demon works. You knew he had an extensive knowledge in human poetry but maybe he’s never come across African-American poetry. Maybe you should introduce some to him. 

You shook your head, feeling a bit of shame for some reason. It was always awkward introducing non-black people to very black works of art. It was hard to explain, hard to make them understand. 

You worked on autopilot as you got ready, way over your five minutes but you figured Mammon was giving you a grace period. Still, you made yourself as presentable as possible, and did a damn good job at it, and made your way out there. 

You figured it was a little late for breakfast so you could avoid the brothers as best as possible until you got your feelings together. 

Like you thought, your walk into the kitchen was fairly unobstructed. Even Mammon wasn’t in the kitchen, more than likely scared off by Lucifer to actually go to class. You wondered who would walk you to class but you got your answer as soon as you walked into the kitchen. 

“You’re late.” You froze for a second at the 1st born's voice. Though it wasn’t threatening, it was just the amount of authoritative that stopped you in your tracks. He was standing in front of the coffee machine, next to the fridge, his back to you. You weren’t sure how he knew it was you but you had long stopped trying to figure out how. Freaky demon shit. 

“Aah..yeah, sorry. I don’t know how I slept over my alarm.” He doesn’t turn to face you, only gives you a little “Hmm..”. You feel a little uncomfortable with his lack of a response. He didn’t...look upset, not that you could see his face, but his back certainly didn’t seem more tense than usual. “I uh...I guess I didn’t sleep very well. I didn’t stay up long but I woke up kinda tense so…I guess I was too deep in my dreams. I don’t remember them though.”

Were you over-explaining? You felt like you were over-explaining. 

You bit your lip as you saw him turn around to face you. His look was questioning, annoyed perhaps but not angry. This wasn’t about your lateness, you can tell. 

“U-uh...I think I’m just gonna go to class. I’ll eat lunch. I don’t want to be la-”

“I got an interesting message from Simeon, asking that I check in on you. He told me that you may be experiencing some discomfort. However, he would not tell me why. MC, is there an issue that I need to be aware of.” 

His questioning had you freeze up, a tension that he was sure to see. Damn it, Simeon. A warning would have been nice. It was too early for the interrogation. Lucifer took your silence as reason to keep going, eyes narrowing a bit dangerously. He set his coffee cup down. 

“You understand your place here. You are under my care and it is my responsibility to make sure you are as comfortable as possible. For Lo-” You sighed, crossing your arms. You couldn’t help but roll your eyes. “Yeah yeah, for Lord Diavolos program. I already know, Lucifer.” The words were out your mouth before you could really think about it. Antagonizing the Avatar of Pride wasn’t smart, but, damn it, it was annoying being constantly reminded of your responsibility to this program. 

He paused and you saw a spark of something dangerous in his eyes but he quickly calmed it down. “Yes. That is why I must know if there is something bothering you and if there is something that I can do to rectify it. Is it something to do with my brothers?” 

You sigh, shaking your head and dropping your arms. Looking away from him for any type of distraction. You couldn’t talk about this right now. Not when you were so unsure of your own feelings. “No…” “Then the lower demons then? Have they been bothering you?” He pressed on and you awkwardly shifted on your feet. “No no...it really doesn’t have anything to do with demons at all.” 

He went silent for a second before nodding. “I see…” He took a step closer to you, causing you to look up at him. His features were a bit softer now. “Do you miss your home on Earth?” You widen your eyes a bit. Of course you did, you thought about home every day but… “I mean...yeah, i do. But it’s not like I want to leave or anything. It’s not that...it’s not…” You let out a huff, crossing your arms again and shaking your head. 

“I don’t know how to talk about this…” He watched you, patiently waiting for you to continue so you did. 

“I...it has something to do with the human world. But I’m not even sure if I can completely talk to you about it. I’m not sure you’d understand.”

“Do you think I’m ignorant?” 

“No! No!” You quickly backtracked, shaking your head. “Not at all. Far from it, I’m sure you would...recognize it. I just...it’s hard for me personally to talk about it. It’s a very human thing and...a very human issue. A lot of stuff is going on up there and I-” You huffed, shaking your head again. “Y’know what, I really...I’d rather not talk about it right before I go to class. I’m...I don’t want to be thinking about it at school. I just want to focus.” 

He stays silent, watching you for an uncomfortable amount of time before he sighed. “When would you like to talk about it then? After class? I have a meeting with Lord Diavolo but I can make time for you after that. Or after dinner, you can come to my room and we can talk.” 

“Lucifer…”

“MC, I will not let you deal with this on your own. You trust me, yes?”   
“Of course I do, I jus-”   
“Then you’ll have to trust me on this as well. I only want the best for you. Not just for the program but because you are very important to me. You’re very important to my brothers.”

You swallowed thickly, unable to say anything. You felt a knot in your throat and you definitely felt like you were about to cry. But you couldn’t. You couldn’t cry in front of him. It was incredibly hard for you to cry in general. You weren’t allowed to as a child, threats ‘Make a sound and I’m going to give you something to cry about’ silencing you to the point that you couldn’t cry even when you were by yourself. 

“Lucifer...I-”  
“So when are we going to talk. And where. I’d like to know so I can schedule accordingly.” 

“I...uh….” You sighed, biting your lip again before shrugging. “Uh...how about….after dinner. And...can we...can talk in my room? I think I’ll be more comfortable there…” He nods, giving a pleasant small smile. “Of course. I’ll see you after dinner then. Now go. You’re going to be late to class and I don’t feel like having to decide your punishment.” 

You knew he was teasing but you certainly didn’t want to test it out. “Alright, alright, I’m going. Thanks Luci.” “Mm..” He hummed, raising an eyebrow but you didn’t stick around to get chewed out for that nickname. Turning around and quickly making a run for it. 

“Make sure you eat lunch!” He called out to you. 

“Yes sir!” 

You could hear his chuckle as you ran off.


	3. Bearable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Help when help was needed

Classes came and went without you being able to focus on it. You knew that the brothers must have known something was wrong. You could see them want to approach you and pause before resuming with their antics. They were dancing around a subject, THE same subject that you were tip-toeing around, and you had to wonder if Lucifer or Simeon had said something to them. 

Once you were in the hallways and able to pull yourself out of your thoughts, you understood that maybe they didn’t need to hear it from them. 

Whispers, prolonged stares, giggles. You noticed a lot more now. It was almost as if it were the first day of school again and they’ve never seen a human before. Except it was different this time. Word around the school was that the human realm was up in a chaos all over the different countries. Talks of riots and protesting and threats against authority. 

They had no idea what was going on up there and, to them, you were a great source of information. 

“Hey, human? Hey uh...so like...you know about those riots up top right?”  
“So human, do your people like to fight a lot? I mean i heard about-”

“This is so weird? Can you imagine fighting back against your government? Are they stupid?”  
“What if we did that with Prince Diavolo?” “Then we’d be killed, simple as that.”  
“That’s what the humans deserve then. They’re crazy”

So many questions yet they never seemed interested in your answer. And how did you plan to answer it? How could you explain hundreds of years of oppression and the soft, tangled intricacies of race and gender and everything that comes in between this and that. How do you explain that, yes, there is the human race but there’s also a social race that’s just as strong and ever-present despite scientifically not existing?

You could spend the entire year going through Black History and never reach the end. You’d die before you were finished. How stressful? 

You would wait a little longer after class ended, pretending to look through your bag for nothing as the demons filed out the door. 

“Darling~ Ah, hurry. We have to get to the next class!” Asmo’s voice broke your concentration and you couldn’t help but smile. You felt his hand press in the middle of your back, which was a bit strange. He would always run his hand up your arm or touch your face. If he was close enough, he’d sneak a hand on your thigh. But never touched your back. It was warm pressure. 

“Sorry, a little slow today.”  
“Is…” He paused and you waited patiently as you packed up your bags. “...are you tired? I was totally gonna ask if you wanted to go shopping with me later today? I saw some clothes on Akuzon that I think would look great on you!” 

He picked right back up, a smile on his face as he led you out of the classroom, hand rubbing your back gently. You could tell he wasn’t trying to cop a feel and you appreciated it. 

“Huh I...I’d like that but...maybe not today. I’m kinda…” busy? Tired? What did you feel right now? Loaded. Ready to burst? Anxious? All of the above. 

He didn’t wait for your answer.

“That’s fine! Tomorrow or something. I wanna get them for you before they get snatched up. I’m telling you, the colors would look great on you. Oh! And I saw this lingerie set that would look great on me too, so I definitely need you to come with cause, of course, i need someone to take pictures of me! Maybe we can find a matching set for you too!” He rambled on, leading you through the hallway to your next class. In the back of your mind, you knew his class was nowhere near yours. But you enjoyed his presence. It calmed you, if only a little.

Were you allowed to feel calm right now? You almost felt guilty thinking about it. 

You tried to focus on his blabbering, as much as your crowded mind would let you. 

As classes continued, you had to wonder how much the brothers knew. They weren’t treating you...way too differently. It wasn’t exuberant but it was noticeable. They never asked you what was wrong, not outright. It seemed they didn’t have the words, exactly, to talk about it. 

With Mammon it was “Oi! Uh….Hey,you like...you know, a little later, there’s this new movie that came out. Ya wanna go watch that with me? We can stay inside or we could like...go out or something. I mean I’M a pretty busy guy, so you’re really lucky that I want to do this with you.” “Hey that-” “I mean NOT that I want to do this with you but like ...if YOU want to do this then I can definitely take you and-” 

You grabbed his hand with both hands, stopping his ranting mid-sentence. “I’d love to. But maybe not tonight. Can we go another day” 

He sat there frozen, face flushing red and his mouth open wide before he could speak again. He really was hilarious. 

“R-Really? ….Well….I mean WHatevEr! Any day is fine, just tell me beforehand so I can plan,’ cause ya know I got some shoots with Majolish! By the way, I got my last paycheck from the last shoot, and ya saw I was on the cover that time, plus a couple extra pages in the middle, so I was tryna see what I could spend-” 

With Beel and Belphie, it was you getting greeted with a mountain of food at the cafeteria. “You didn’t eat breakfast this morning. Are you hungry?” Beel asked, getting separate plates and dissecting food from his horde to give to you and Belphie. “Oh...well I’m not really hungr-” “You didn’t eat. Even if you don’t feel hungry, you should make sure you eat, just in case. Okay?” He said, his eyebrows furrowed as he passed you your plate. 

You felt a bit of pressure on your shoulder and looked down to see Belphie resting his head on your shoulder. He had a blanket with him and it rested over both your laps. “You overslept…” He muttered, eyes closed as he spoke to you. 

You had to snort, moving your opposite arm as not to disturb him. “Indeed.” “Are you not sleeping well?” “Well...not...i mean…” He opened his eyes, lifting his head to look at you. “You know, you can come to our room if you need help sleeping. I know...sometimes…” He pauses for a second, searching for the right words. “I know what it’s like to feel alone and...you know, sometimes you should just be with other people. Just for a little while. So if you want to just cuddle, I’m all for it.” 

This was the most you heard him speak. You were a bit stunned and Beel took that moment to inch your plate to you. “C’mon, eat a little. You’ll feel a little better.” You don’t remember telling them you felt bad but you did what you were asked and took a bite. 

Your stomach rumbled. Apparently you were hungry. 

“Thanks…” You mumbled after you swallowed. Belphie took back his spot on your shoulder and you felt an arm wrap around your own. 

With Levi, it was very subtle, considering he never really...WENT to school. You felt your D.D.D buzz a couple times and you leaned against a locker to read them. 

**Levi:** MC!  
 **Levi:** HEY!  
 **Levi:** I have a raid later tonight and you should come watch me!  
 **Levi:** Also! I found this new anime. It’s called ‘Cannon Buster’   
**Levi:** Wanna watch it with me? Seems cool  
 **Levi:** Not like those normie stuff you probably like. Promise.

You snorted, reading over his words once, twice, maybe even three times. It’s not unusual for him to invite you over, once he trusted you, but this was different. He never told him the name of the anime, you were always in for a surprise when you went in there. 

**Levi:** C’mon MC, Don’t leave me hanging?   
**Levi:** You want to or not?   
**Levi:** I mean, if you don’t want to hang with me, just say so.

You huffed, quickly before typing quickly. 

**MC:** Sorry, sorry, got busy.   
**MC:** Sure! I don’t think I can do it tonight tho  
 **MC:** You cool for another day? Don’t watch it without me!

**Levi:** I won’t! Who do you think I am?  
 **Levi:** Whenever works for me  
 **Levi:** But I’d rather sooner than later  
 **Levi:** They have some super cool outfits and we could try and cosplay it, if you want   
**Levi:** I mean if you’re into that type of stuff

**MC:** For sure, if it’s good we can look into cosplay  
 **MC:** Gotta go but we’ll talk about it later.  
 **MC:** Thanks Levi

**Levi:** XDXD For what??   
**Levi:** I’m not doing this just for you, you know  
 **Levi:** I wanna see it too

You roll your eyes and go to class. 

Satan was the least subtle of all. He got to you when you went to the library to get some peace and quiet at the end of the day. 

“Have demons been bothering you all day? There’s some issues going up in the human realm and it’s stirring up some interest down here?” 

You sigh, leaning your head on your hand, elbow on the table. He sat next to you, a gentle smile on his face but his eyes held much more. It was swirling with emotions and you had to wonder just how much he knew.

“Yeah…” “You want to talk about it? I...don’t claim to know everything that is going on…” You somehow felt that was a lie. “..but I am here for you to talk to if you want. You know that, right?” 

You felt a warmth in your chest at that. You knew he meant it. You knew you could talk to him forever about anything. You’ve spent time letting him read books to you or recommend series since you’ve been trying to get back into reading. You knew he’d understand your anger. How could he not, he was the Avatar of Wrath. He’d validate your anger. He’d be angry with you. Maybe that’s what you need. 

“I’m not...sure...yet.” “I understand. You know my door is open anytime. Oh! I have cooking duties tonight. Would you like to join me? I enjoy your presence in the kitchen. You seem to be the only one that can keep Beel at bay long enough for me to get the ingredients in. Does this sound good with you?” 

You could do that. That was easy enough. And maybe you’d enjoy the company. 

“Sure...I can do that. Thanks!”   
“No problem. I’ll be waiting for you to start.” 

You smiled back at him, nudging him slightly only to receive a playful nudge back. 

By the end of the day, you didn’t know how you felt. But you did feel….ready. Ready as ready can be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late entry. I was busy with my two jobs and starting another series. But this will still be updated. Hope you enjoy! 
> 
> (BTW...whats your favorite black authors and black musicians. im jus tryna see sumn)


	4. Release

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, all you have to do is talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! again, life!

You sighed, scrolling on your D.D.D, your legs swinging from your spot on the kitchen island. The brothers lingered around the kitchen after dinner. Satan was washing the dishes and you sat behind him on the counter. Beel was sneaking off bites of the left-overs that you knew wouldn’t be there by the morning. Asmo was trying to find good lighting for an after dinner self and the others wandered around. It made you think a bit. Even Levi was here. What was the issue? 

It wasn’t like you didn’t enjoy their presence. You didn’t want to just go back to your room and inundate yourself with more information. You had done enough of that after you started your homework, trying to keep up to date with the news of the human realm. Protests continued, starting off peacefully before being led into disorder by some unlikely (unlikely for some) people. 

You sighed, placing your arm on your knee and resting your head on your hand. Your thoughts are drifting to another place. You’d love to be up there, protesting. You’d love to see your family, see your brothers and your father and your uncles. You wanted to make sure your mother and your aunts and your cousins were safe. 

Life was changing up there and you couldn’t be a part of it. You had to wonder what it would be like when you came back. You had no doubt some type of war was going to be started with the way things were going. A historical moment and you were watching from the sidelines, unsure of what to do about it. 

But did you want to be a part of it all? What could you do? There was so much that needed to be done and you couldn’t help but feel insignificant. Especially when you were down here. 

“..-ou okay?” 

You blink, realizing you were so deep in your thoughts that you didn’t notice Satan was staring at you. Your eyes widened a bit and you straightened up. “Huh?” He cracked a smile that seemed a little more genuine than usual. “You were deep in your thoughts…” He states. 

You laughed a bit nervously. “Yeaaah…” “Are you okay? You don’t usually tend to linger around here after dinner. Not that I don’t enjoy your presence here.” You give a smile and shrug. “I’m….I’m alright.” “...hm…” “Really! I’m okay, I just…” He studies you for a second before leaning against the counter next to you. 

“Are you alright? Or are you okay? Two different words, two different meanings...and you’re allowed to be neither of them.” He says softly, finger tapping against the granite counter top. You watch him, unable to even muster up words. Lucky for you, he continued on speaking. 

“I don’t think you need me to tell you this but...we all know what’s going on up there. Kinda hard to stay ignorant to it. I know you must be affected by this in some way.” 

“Y-yeah….”

“While we can’t...completely understand why the tension is rising up in the human realm, I can understand how you must be feeling about it. You know that my door is always open if you need to talk…” He looks over to her with a gentle smile, nodding. 

You swallow, not able to keep the blush from rising. “I know… It’s been kinda rough, you know.” “I’m sure. I’m not sure exactly what the details are. Would you like to expand upon them?” 

You opened your mouth, prepared to answer, or at least try to, when an exaggerated ‘Ahem’ grabbed your attention. Lucifer leans against the doorway of the kitchen, arms crossed. “Apologies for the interruption. MC...are you ready?” 

Satan huffs, giving a little sneer before he leaning off the counter. “Later then, MC?”

“Hold up! Where are ya takin’ MC?” Mammon, of course, interrupted, stomping over to you possessively. Lucifer hesitates for a second before a sadistic smile crawls to his face. “To my room, of course.” “For what!” “Well, dear brother, what other reason would I have to take her to my room?” 

Mammon grabbed your arm tightly, earning a chuckle from Satan. “WHAT! SHe ain’t goin’ with you! You must be crazy to think I’m gonna let my human do anything like that with you!” Lucifer raised an eyebrow but kept that irritating smirk on his face, successfully riling his brother up. 

You roll your eyes before patting the hand that gripped you. “He’s just trying to annoy you. We’re just going to talk, that's it.” He looks at you, eyebrows furrowed and a pout on his face. “You can’t trust him! Ya see how he’s lookin’ at you? Talk, my ass.” You shook your head, moving your hand from his hand to his head, patting him there. He flushed immediately, tensing up but not moving away. “O-oi, quit that!” 

Lucifer brought the attention back to him with a clear of his throat. “MC, if we could…” You nod, glancing between him and Mammon. “I’ll be back, Mammoney, chill out.” “W-what, you’-” “Don’t be jealous. It’s just talking.” “JEALOUS?? I’m not jealous. Pfft...you think I’d be jealous of Lucifer...Of course not! I know you’re my human, and ya better not forget it!” 

You hop off the counter, rolling your eyes. “Right…I’ll see you later. I’ll text you when it’s over, cool?” “I-i...I guess….Yeah! I’ll be waiting for that then! Just to make sure you’re okay!” 

You shook your head and were out the door before he could continue with his incessant rambling. You heard Lucifer chuckle, following behind you and felt a hand on the small of your back. “I apologize, I just wanted to see his reaction.” You sucked your teeth, giving him a pointed, but fake, glare. 

You nudge him with your elbow. “Mean…” “Oh, you like me when I’m mean.” “Who said that, they must be lyin’...” “Hm…” He keeps his hand on the small of your back all the way until you get to his room. He removes his hand to open the door and allow you in. 

This wasn’t the first time in his room but you always had to look around in awe just by the sheer size of the room. And the bed! You hadn’t had the time to test it out but you had to think it was like sleeping on a cloud. 

He closed the door behind you, pausing for a second before walking past you. You waited there, rocking on your feet before he motioned to you. “Come...sit down.” He sat on the edge of the bed before patting beside him. Guess you were about to get your wish. You rubbed your arm, coming over to sit with him.

All was silent between you two but it wasn’t uncomfortable. There was little tension, more like a bit of apprehension. Waiting. Seeing who was going to speak first and start this whole avalanche. 

Lucifer decided to save you...once again. 

“I have all night. How about we start from the beginning. What you heard and then you can go into what’s upsetting you.” He was giving you a little bit of structure and you had to appreciate it. “Okay…” You rubbed your thighs, looking down at your hands before shrugging. 

“So… it started when a group of demons showed me this news video. They were asking me what was going on and then they showed me this video.” You go through what the video showed. His face was impassive but you knew he was focused on your words. You paused for a second, allowing him a chance to speak. 

“I see...this show of violence must be very traumatizing to witness, especially when delivered on an innocent person.” You nod but bite your lip. “It’s a little more than that though.” “Oh? Explain..” 

You sigh. “Well, theres such a long history of cops targeting...innocent black people. And...I mean, he’s not even far from the first nor will he be the last.” He rose an eyebrow, still waiting for that explanation. You weren’t sure how you were going to pace it out. 

“So...I mean...I know you might not be too interested in human ways but uh… basically within the human race there a number of other ‘races’,” you purposely gave air quotes over the word as you said, “that people subscribe to. Albeit, for some, involuntarily.” 

“Other races?” “Yeah, based on like...uh...hereditary traits, genetics and culture. You know, we don’t all look the same.” He snorted, nodding. “Clearly” “Yeah well...because of that, we separate ourselves based on these traits.” He stayed quiet for a second and it took you just as long for you to realize that he was waiting for even more of an explanation. He sighs, crossing his arms. 

“I’m not sure I’m following where this is going.” You nod, looking at your hands. “Right. Well this is called Social Race. And it’s just that, social. Considering the only _technical_ race is the human race. But this Social race is just as important. There’s hundred of years of culture tied into it. Some of it is really good. Cool…”

“But...sometimes its used for bad.” Your voice lowers to a whisper for a second and you take a moment. He stays quiet. Your stomach was bunching into little knots but you knew you could continue. He was an open book. Any preconceived notions he had was based on the fact that you were human, not because you were black. You could live with that. 

“Where I come from, a lot of people that look like me. A lot of black people...they are treated with suspicion and aggression. They’re typically thought of as less than. Really this sentiment stems from hundreds of years of systematic oppression and slavery.” “Because they are regarded with suspicion, they often get the police called on them while doing nothing. And the police are...sorta trained to treat everyone as a threat.” 

A look of understanding passed over his features and you swallowed. “I see…” “Yeah...this has been going on for hundreds of years. It’s called Racism. And uh...I mean…” He interrupted you. “So when you said this man was not the first, nor will he be the last, you mean to say that police will constantly seek reason to abuse their power” “I mean yeah...in better terms.” “And … this appears to happen to people...like you?” You nod. 

“I mean, don’t get me wrong. Police will abuse their power against everyone. Plenty of non-black people get abused. It just seems more likely to happen to you the darker your skin color gets.” 

You chewed the bottom of your lip, thinking over everything and trying your best to pick out at least one thought in the swirling pool inside your head. He stayed silent, looking at his door and you glanced over at him. Wondering what he was thinking. 

“I’m not really explaining it well. It’s so hard to explain to someone who doesn’t...really…I mean its hundreds of years of history to talk through and I just...don’t...” “That is a very strange classification system.” The way he said it made you chuckle. “I agree.” 

He went quiet again but not for long. “So the unrest going on in the human realm is one of a civil nature. And it’s because these cops are abusing their power on a specific race of people, because of their skin color. And this happens quite often.” You nod once again. 

“And..how does that make you feel?” 

You tense for a second before letting out another, albeit shaky, breath. “What do you mean?” “Exactly what I said. How does all this make you feel?” He answered you, lips thinning to a slight frown. Yet, you had to think this was his focused look. You couldn’t take looking at him for long so you looked away at anything else in his room. 

“I don’t know.” You whispered, shrugging your shoulders a bit. He shifted a little but you refused to look at him. “You do. You’re just afraid to express it.” You scoff. “Clever as always.” “MC...I have no cards in this game. I have no reason to judge you on your feelings, however ridiculous it may feel to you. I only seek to understand.” 

You feel a warm hand press against your shoulder and it finally gets you to look at him. He has a gentle smile on his face and you search his eyes for any semblance of a lie. You don’t find any.   
“I...guess. It makes me sad…” “yes.” “And...scared.” “Scared of what?” 

You swallow and then shrug again. He huffs, hand tightening on your shoulder a bit. “No more shrugging. Just say what you mean.” “Sorry…” “Don’t be sorry. Just change your action.” You nod, swallow thickly then continue. “I have siblings. I have cousins. Uncles. My Father. My Mother. They all run the risk of being hurt. They all run the risk of meeting one bad cop that can change their life. Or...take it.” 

“I mean...I’ve been followed by the cops before. I didn’t do anything but, to them, I looked suspicious. I’ve seen my brother harassed by the cops. I’ve seen my mother harassed. My friends...In my head, I always worry that one day I’ll check the news and it will be one of them on the news. Like they’ll become another statistic.” Heat rushes to your face and you feel the burn of tears in your eyes. Theres a lump in your throat that won’t move when you swallow. You feel him gently rub your back. “It’s okay…” 

You shake your head. “Sorry.. It’s alot.” “It is. Much more than someone so young should worry about.” You use your arm to wipe away your tears before they fell. “I just feel useless. I can’t do anything...I know there’s nothing I, as a singular person, can do but I just...I want to try something. Protest. Give money. I don’t know…” He continues to nod, rubbing your back and suddenly your arm can’t wipe the tears away fast enough. 

“And I love it here...I really do. And I love all of you. Coming here was...the first time where I didn’t have to think on my race. It suddenly didn’t matter. The only issue was that I was human, not that I was black. Hell, I mean even Simeon would be considered black in the human realm but here he’s just an angel. I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s so...nice.” “But my family...they don’t get to live like that. They have to live with this every day. They always have to wonder...if it’ll be them next. Or if it’ll be someone they know. Or hell just...someone else. Anyone else.” 

You were on a ramble and you didn’t seem able to stop. “It’s hard...I feel guilty for being allowed to be comfortable. To be able to not think about it, even just for a year.” “It’s lonely...in a sense. In a really...weird and terrible way.” You quieted down, your voice cracking at the last minute and you just barely controlled the sob from escaping you. 

You’re suddenly being moved, pulled against him. He wraps an arm around your shoulder, pulling to close. You just barely avoid falling into his lap before his arms tighten around you. A hug. He was hugging you. Lucifer was hugging you. “Luci...fer?” 

“Your fear is palpable. I did not realize it ran so deep, little lamb…” “I-i…” He shushed you, rubbing your back. “Although...right now there is not much you can do, your care is enough. I would not want you to feel alone.” “I cannot pretend that I am able to completely empathize with your plight but I can sympathize.” 

Your tears ran free but for once it didn’t feel wrong. 

“While I cannot allow you into the human realm to..visit your family, I can send someone to check on them, if that will ease your fears. I will have to talk to Diavolo about this...unrest in the human world. I’m sure he will be eager to learn the ways of humans.” “Meanwhile...I am here to make you feel better. When you are with your family, what is it that you do to make you feel better with them, during times like this.” You pause and he releases you. 

“We usually just...listen to music and watch black movies or something. Funny things. Or... I usually listen to my parents' old music and see how happy it makes them, the memories they have to it.” Just the thought brought a little smile to your face and it did not go unnoticed by Lucifer. 

“And what songs would that be?” You took a moment before a rush of excitement came over you. “Would you like to hear some?” Picking your D.D.D from your pocket. The app not only showed human realm news but gave access to human realm music. You were lucky. Not that Devildom music wasn’t good but it wasn’t...familiar. You had trouble getting into it. 

He chuckled at your growing excitement. “Of course. I am a fan of music. I only thought human music got good around ...a millenia ago but perhaps I was…” “wrong?” “Well..I wouldn’t go that far.” You had to roll your eyes. Of course he wouldn’t. 

“Well, Mr. Morningstar...I think you’d be a very good fan of Jill Scott.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have you noticed that in some shows that have depictions of Lucifer, they make him hate hip-hop. I always have to side-eye that shit cause like .....why? ....What exactly about hip-hop is so bad that the ANGEL OF MUSIC doesn't like it.
> 
> *side-eye* im jus' sayin'
> 
> Hope you enjoyed!

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed
> 
> If you find any mistakes, please let me know so I can correct them
> 
> And if you have any suggestions, leave them in the comments!


End file.
